Not sure how it will work. Surely Wigan, Sunderland, Ipswich etc. will need to make cutbacks. Surely they will need time to adapt. Bit unfair if they are sanctioned on contracts entered into prior to the rules existing. Then again that didn't stop us being nailed by FFP when a large part of our losses were from our Premier League days before we were subject to the rules.

I can't see any fair way that a cap could be imposed in the Championship without the Premier League playing along with it too. Otherwise it will just exacerbate the existing problem with parachute equipped clubs coming down and blowing everyone out of the water. I agree with the idea in principle but only if fairly applied across all divisions.

Hughton has had 4 seasons as a Championship manager, across 3 different clubs. In those 4 seasons he has got automatic promotion twice and got into the play offs twice. In his half season with Brighton he turned them around from relegation to finish mid table. Call me old fashioned but with that sort of record I'd be paying him what he wants and leaving him to get on with it however he wants. I've no time for unnecessary gambles on rookies when obvious excellent candidates are waiting for a job. A lot of it boils down to people wanting some sort of pat on the back or credit for unearthing someone new rather than just doing the obvious that is known to work.

Pretty sure that Abitro's story about the £10 million bid emerged BEFORE Watford were relegated. So unless they were bidding on players like Armstrong when potentially in the Premier League I'd say unlikely. Also managerless and making changes behind the scenes.

Which clubs are you referring to? Middlesbrough appointed Warnock who is probably as good if not better than Hughton. Birmingham went for Karanka because they seem to like Spain at the moment and are also run by loons. Bristol City, Bournemouth and Watford are still vacant and Hughton is one of the front runners for all of them. Bristol City have a head coach structure and seem to prefer having a young pliable coach in the dugout with Mark Ashton running things. Hughton has done enough at this level to be able to name his terms and price and relax and wait for a club to match it. Its the age old story. Clubs want sexy and 60 odd year old British managers like McCarthy and Hughton don't get the pulses racing. They do get the job.done well though.

There hasn't been an official statement as such. Rather when the club accounts or Venkys London accounts are released there is a sentence in there that states that the owners are committed to funding the club for the next 12 months as a minimum. It usually appears along with the expectation that the overdraft facility will be renewed. Without going and checking I am fairly sure that was in the most recent set of accounts. End of the day there's nothing anyone on here can do about it if they decide to turn off the money tap. The club would likely be in admin within a couple of months unless player sales plugged losses. Go into admin and the administrators take control from Venkys and go through the books with a tooth comb. Venkys would either have to walk away with nothing or try and demand some sort of repayment but given the state the club is in they wouldn't get 20% of their 'debt'.

Is there any suggestion that Cardiff are going to sell Cunningham? Warnock let him here on loan. Since then Harris has taken over but hasn't yet had the opportunity to use him due to his injury. Even if he was available are we going to be willing to pay him what Cardiff are? Unlikely IMO

Yes, but they'll get about £40 million for the pair of them, sell them to clubs in higher divisions, and have a plan to reinvest a large chunk of that into replacements. If anyone can replace them it will be Brentford. Beats flogging Cairney and Raya to Fulham and Brentford for £3 million a piece and not replacing either.

Bournemouth were wearing their new kit in the last few games of the season. We need a new manufacturer that better suits our needs. Waiting until nearly September every year isnt good enough when we've merchandise to sell. Hummel, Macron or Kappa please.

Imagine a club that can decide on a transfer policy whilst still playing the season out and not knowing what league they are going to be in, and immediately put that into action rather than waste weeks

I get where you are coming from but a couple of points. Amidst a decade of neglect our commercial and corporate income has collapsed. I am certain that new owners would very quickly be able to achieve a significant increase in sponsorship, commercial and corporate income just by making an effort. This income would admittedly not come close to £15 million a year but would make a dent in it and grow if approached in a competent manner. It isnt right to suggest that our income cannot increase because 'we are where we are'. We haven't even got a commercial director such is the lack of interest and effort on that front. Secondly you talk about Covid income depletion and yet I have already identified 3 clubs - Prem, Championship, League One - Everton, Luton and Peterborough- who have already matched or bettered last season's ticket sales despite Covid 19 uncertainty. As a result their incomes will be boosted yet here at Rovers we know better and don't sell anything then moan about diminishing income. Same applies to shirts and merchandise. Neglected. I'm not saying it would be easy but significant strides could be made just through having some interest and being proactive.

Employing him on a 6 month deal from January much cheaper and easier than getting approval to fire off Coyle and all his mates. Also kept the fans quiet for another few months as January passed by with only one loan signing (who does that when fighting to stay up?)

How about asking Peterborough fans. https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/football/peterborough-united/peterborough-united-hail-incredible-season-ticket-sales-warn-fans-not-dawdle-and-miss-out-any-2020-21-action-2933012 Amazing how they have managed it and 3000, the same as last year, have bought one. Last time I checked Ewood Park a lot bigger and better equipped to cope with distancing than their ground

What is a selling club though? One that is at risk of losing its best players to clubs in higher divisions? Fine, I can accept that. That's life in the Championship. Nobody I've ever come across has any issue with us reluctantly allowing players to take a step up, getting the best deal possible and reinvesting the money to improve the club. In that sense everyone at this level is a selling club. Or is it existing purely to accommodate and try to polish up potential by giving players Championship minutes purely so they can be moved on again at a profit within a couple of seasons, to the first club that shows interest, even to sides around us in the table at a poor price, with the needs of the team, manager, fans or players an irrelevance just to help pay some bills with no reinvestment or improvement to be had and no other purpose to our existence? Well that's not OK and not acceptable but unfortunately I think that is what we are. We shouldn't be.

I'm not necessarily talking about the most loyal. I'm talking also about those fans who aren't that bothered about going who after months of inertia from the club might just decide they are better off doing something else with their money. Once gone they aren't coming back. But also the regular renewers who go every season, as the economic damage increases from what is was in March and April more and more are likely going to be struggling for cash and be less willing to throw money Rovers way.

At a proper football club after selling Raya there would have been a coherent strategy to replace him and address other areas before splurging the whole lot on someone like Gallagher with no defined role for him in the team. Then the cupboard is bare for spending on crucial positions so we end up scuttling around for a few generous loans to plug gaps, kicking the can down the road for another 12 months. Now it is coming back to bite. I almost struggle to believe that Mowbray likes Gallagher enough to splash his entire budget on him especially when you look at where and how he has used him in the side. Very strange. It's almost as though someone else took a shine to him last time he was here and obtained the funds from Venkys to make it a permanent deal, on the basis he was likely to grow in value of course. Selling, reluctantly, a decent player every few years may be necessary or helpful but it is the way in which that comes about that is the concern. The Brentford way works because they have replacement targets lined up ready to go and spend the money back on the squad. Here it will be confusion, inertia then permission for a few loans instead.

That reads to me as though Mowbray hasn't yet been told he has to sell assets, but perhaps might be told that in the near future. He's priming the fans for it. But still hasn't had confirmation or otherwise from upstars. He says it is inevitable that we will have to sell eventually. What if we get promoted this season? Or has he written that off already as part of this never ending transition? Basically he's sold things to the owners as an investment to recoup their money down the line and now its time for cashing in. Just like under Bowyer. He talks about using funds to strengthen the squad but we all know that doesn't happen. Last time he used the Raya money to sign Gallagher, and used loans to sort the defence for a season. Now because of that we are in dire straits at the back. Wouldn't happen anywhere else but Venky Rovers.

Oh he already has. Them and Stoke. Only last week it was Sunderland and Ipswich he was waxing lyrical about.

So now we know the identities of the other 23 clubs we will be up against. I wonder how Waggott and co. will be able to spin it as little old Rovers struggling to compete. Only Forest, Derby and Sheff Wednesday really represent significantly bigger gates etc. The day I accept that the rest are bigger, better or ahead of Blackburn Rovers is a long way away. Clearly the 3 relegated clubs will have the benefit of parachute cash but Watford and Bournemouth will have some serious work to do. Then we've the promoted clubs of homeless Coventry, Rotherham and Wycombe. Nope nothing to see there. At this stage I expect Stoke, Norwich and Middlesbrough to be in and around the top end. I rate O'Neill at Stoke, Norwich will know the league and should transition smoothly. Boro have the Warnock factor so if he's up for it and gets backing they'll be thereabouts. Watford and Bournemouth could do well depending on their appointments and squads but i think without Howe there to hold it together Bournemouth will struggle. I also think Millwall are to be earmarked for a play off spot. Already done a couple of decent looking deals this summer. This is the first time in a while theres no stand out side. This year Leeds and WBA were always favourites. Last year Villa and before that Wolves. No such side IMO next year. There for the taking for a club that does some shrewd business, addresses weaknesses properly and keeps their best players.

Those were on twitter somewhere a couple of weeks ago. Love the home shirt and black away shirt.

So sensible that only about 3 clubs including ourselves in the top two divisions haven't bothered to sell any. Everyone else has. Even clubs with capacity issues in old grounds like Luton and Everton. We are a special sort of club. The sort that spends all year moaning about relying on Venkys, low gates, no money, tough to compete, FFP rules but then does nowt to try and get some cash in by offering a voucher, membership or season ticket. As to the suggestion of a donation instead that is just ludicrous. Why can't the club just offer what nearly everyone else has done and has sold by the thousands? The club has the benefit of 20000 empty seats every week and we can be sure away fans will be out of the picture. We also have vast areas of space around the ground for distancing measures to be brought in if needed. So talk about how to manage distancing etc. should be much easier to deal with at Ewood than elsewhere. As to the stuff about wanting your own seat then simple, if they can't guarantee you your usual seat and it is a make or break issue for you then don't buy one. I'd rather have my usual seat but if they told me to sit in the Darwen End upper I would in the circumstances because I am willing to compromise. As I said last week. I've got the money waiting to pay for it as I always do at this time of year. Now give it 3 months and I might decide to sack it off and spend it on a holiday instead, or heaven forbid I might lose my job and need the money for other things. Then they've missed the boat with me. I suspect what will happen is those clubs who have sold loads will defer it until the 2021-22 season and deal with next season separately. But they've got the money, and those fans are hooked into the club for another 2 years and aren't going anywhere. Those clubs need not worry. We are starting from a standing position of 0 season ticket holders and I believe every week that goes by will see less and less prepared to renew. If we had been on the ball in February or March we wouldn't have this.issue

'Making moves' can be done without having a budget. As I suggested last week my opinion is, assuming the information about targets is correct, that Mowbray is approaching things in reverse order, hoping to get his ducks in a row ready for the approval to come through from India eventually. He can target whoever he likes and even have tentative discussions with them but it is very different to cash changing hands. We are good at talking. Its the doing part we struggle with. But I am also very apprehensive and cynical about these supposed targets and how much truth there Is in them given the whereabouts of senior staff and information we have been given.

The longer the inertia and lack of communication continues the more likely it is that people will get sick and fed up and either request/demand something back or failing that will simply refuse to buy one next year and be lost. That is why it was so important for the issue to be thoroughly and competently addressed from the word go with clear options set out and a way of deferring compensation towards future tickets, those that we still haven't bothered putting on sale. Anyhow, transfers. Id be amazed if Mowbray knew or had a budget by now. I suspect he had about 4 days after the season finished to tidy up before having a few weeks off before pre season. Waggott has done a disappearing act i believe because he is as in the dark as the rest of us but.doesnt want to be caught out admitting it so is just hiding away until instructions come through. I do pity those who think signings are imminent. It ain't happening folks.

So are you agreeing that in failing to offer a refund option, and callously suggesting that any fan asking for one would be putting the club at risk of oblivion, that we have harmed our sales potential for next season? I'm still struggling with the logic that Luton, in their ramshackle little stadium where distancing will be a bigger challenge than at Ewood and who didn't know their league status until last week, can manage to sell 6500 season tickets in the face of Covid 19 uncertainty and yet there isn't a good reason for us to at least try and sell some.

All explained away upstairs by Covid 19 and no admission or suggestion that Rovers policies have or will exacerbate that. I've no doubt we are facing a significant drop in numbers. But i think Rovers could mitigate that if they were proactive as most other clubs will do